The Best Acne Treatment Products From *Teen Vogue*’s 2018 Acne Awards

Not all of us were blessed with perfect, poreless skin. In fact, very few of us actually were. Take it from Google: A quick search of the word “acne” shows that it affects up to 50 million Americans each year, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, and that technically doesn’t even cover anyone who hasn’t made an official appointment at the derm. (Just knowing you aren’t alone in your skin struggles can sometimes make facing the mirror in the morning a little bit easier.)

What’s tricky about treating acne is that there’s no singular cause to tackle head-on. Everything — from how much sleep you’re getting, what your diet consists of, the amount of stress you’re dealing with, where you are in your menstrual cycle, and what you’re slathering on your face daily — plays a role, but products can help to mitigate the aftereffects of a bad breakout or stop one before it reaches a head or triples in size.

Since our definition of #goals is all about feeling comfortable in our own skin — and that means being confident and spot-free — we’ve sorted through the endless solutions out there to create a definitive list of the ultimate acne-fighting essentials as part of our first-ever annual Teen Vogue Acne Awards. Six top dermatologists and aestheticians have helped us separate what really works from all the other blemish-busting stuff out there so you — and your skin — can stop freaking out.